RECALL EFFORT GEARING UP

Another longtime Filner backer raises concerns

A budding movement to recall Mayor Bob Filner planned its next step Tuesday as more former supporters called on him to resign in the wake of accusations that he sexually harassed several women.

A recall rally is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday outside City Hall to sign up volunteers for the cause.

With Filner steadfast in his refusal to resign, City Hall settled into what could be a long and drawn out civic ordeal.

There were no new revelations about the mayor, but the political arm of the local National Organization for Women and the League of Conservation Voters joined the growing chorus calling for him to step down.

Democratic civic booster George Mitrovich had raised concerns about Filner’s “rude and crude” treatment of others well before the latest lurid allegations. He hasn’t yet called on his longtime friend to resign but said that moment could be coming.

“If this continues to play out with anywhere near the intensity that we’ve witnessed, at some point he has to go, but on his own volition,” Mitrovich said. “It’s just too upsetting. It’s too distracting. It’s too injurious to the city, and it’s important for all of us to remember what matters most is not Mayor Filner or Donna Frye or anyone else. It’s really the city of San Diego, and we deserve better.”

A media frenzy erupted last week when Frye, a former city councilwoman, and two other political allies of Filner came forward with unspecified allegations that the mayor had sexually harassed numerous women.

Filner offered a video apology Thursday for “inappropriate and wrong” treatment of women but has subsequently grown more defiant. He reiterated Monday that he is innocent of sexual harassment and would be vindicated by a fair and impartial investigation of complaints.

Frye and her cohorts earlier Monday provided more specific details without identifying Filner’s accusers. They described the alleged victims as a constituent, a campaign volunteer and a city employee who had been subjected to unwanted sexual advances, including kisses, groping and derogatory comments.

No formal claims or lawsuits have been filed by accusers although their attorneys have said that could happen soon.

Filner had been the subject of recall rumors even before the allegations because his rough-and-tumble political style had led to several controversies. They include questions over a $100,000 civic donation from a developer, an unannounced trip to France, poor treatment of staff and his ordering of police to remove a deputy city attorney from a closed-door meeting.

Now that recall movement has a face. Land-use consultant Michael Pallamary is organizing the effort and has firsthand experience in the process. He participated in the city’s only successful recall, ousting Councilwoman Linda Bernhardt in 1991.

Pallamary said he’s taking a slow-and-steady approach to the recall because of rules that make it difficult to pull off. Proponents need to collect 101,597 signatures from registered city voters in a 39-day period, but the clock doesn’t start until they officially declare their intentions. If they fall short, an additional 30 days is allowed to collect more signatures.

“I’ve been waiting in spite of all the pressure that people say ‘Let’s do the recall. Let’s do the recall,’ ” Pallamary said. “You know what? I want to let this pot boil a little longer because I know what the result is going to be. The pot’s going to boil over and we’re going to have a real mess. ... Let (Filner) continue to inflame his supporters. Let him continue to anger people. That creates the environment the recall needs to operate.”

His “Recall Bob Filner” Facebook page had nearly 4,000 likes as of Tuesday night. He’s also planning a “Recall Recruitment Rally” on Friday to sign up volunteers for the coming petition drive. Pallamary said he expects the signature drive to cost between $250,000 and $325,000 in contributions.

Meanwhile, city business chugged back to life as the City Council held a typical session and the mayor’s new team set up shop and moved forward. Filner’s appointment of Walt Ekard as chief operating officer was well-received by business and civic leaders.

Ekard, 59, will make $275,000 annually in his new role running the city’s day-to-day operations after retiring as the county’s top administrator in December. He is widely respected for the fiscal discipline he brought to county government.

Kris Michell, president and chief executive of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, which advocates for economic growth in that area, asked the organization’s board members in a Monday email to rally behind Ekard by “thanking him for agreeing to take on these responsibilities and for making sure our city is operating efficiently.”

Mitrovich echoed that sentiment. “Persuading Walt Ekard to come to the city is very significant,” he said. “(Filner) needs someone of Mr. Ekard’s standing and credibility and reputation. He needs that person really to be the individual that deals with staff and with city employees. The mayor just needs to take himself out of that.”

How much interaction Filner has with employees is also a concern of City Council President Todd Gloria, who was once one of the mayor’s biggest supporters but has now called on him to resign. Gloria sent a memo Monday to Ekard asking him to create “alternate workspace options” for any mayoral employees who are uncomfortable with their current office arrangement.

“The best way to restore trust in the city is to continue to protect the interests of our citizens,” Gloria said. “Though we are working with an incapacitated Mayor’s Office, the City Council is dedicated to doing its part in running an efficient and effective municipal government.”

Meanwhile, two local television news stations aired accusations from two women who said they had been groped by Filner in the past. Their identities were not revealed.

Filner also continued to lose supporters Tuesday.

Livia Borak, president of the League of Conservation Voters San Diego, said the group’s board withdrew its previous endorsement of Filner and asked him to resign.

“One cannot successfully advance a positive environmental agenda while at the same time creating a hostile work environment,” she said in a statement.

The San Diego NOW Political Action Committee said: “It is with profound disappointment that we join with the other Mayor Filner former supporters in calling for him to resign his position.”

In addition, the National Women Veterans Association of America has removed Filner as its recipient of the “Lifetime of Leadership” award at its Aug. 30 gala in San Diego. According to the organization’s Facebook page, he’ll serve as keynote speaker for the benefit to raise money in opposition of “military sexual assault, sexual harassment and violence against women & children.”

Neither the veterans group nor the Mayor’s Office responded to requests for comment.